Download MendeleyThe structure of Ascaris hemoglobin domain I at 2.2 A resolution: molecular features of oxygen avidity.
Yang, J., Kloek, A.P., Goldberg, D.E., Mathews, F.S.(1995) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 92: 4224-4228
- PubMed: 7753786
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.92.10.4224
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
1ASH - PubMed Abstract:
The perienteric hemoglobin of the parasitic nematode Ascaris has an exceptionally high affinity for oxygen. It is an octameric protein containing two similar heme-binding domains per subunit, but recombinant constructs expressing a single, monomeric heme-binding domain (domain 1; D1) retain full oxygen avidity. We have solved the crystal structure of D1 at 2.2 A resolution. Analysis of the structure reveals a characteristic globin fold and illuminates molecular features involved in oxygen avidity of Ascaris perienteric hemoglobin. A strong hydrogen bond between tyrosine at position 10 in the B helix (tyrosine-B10) and the distal oxygen of the ligand, combined with a weak hydrogen bond between glutamine-E7 and the proximal oxygen, grips the ligand in the binding pocket. A third hydrogen bond between these two amino acids appears to stabilize the structure. The B helix of D1 is displaced laterally by 2.5 A when compared with sperm whale myoglobin. This shifts the tyrosine-B10 hydroxyl far enough from liganded oxygen to form a strong hydrogen bond without steric hindrance. Changes in the F helix compared with myoglobin contribute to a tilted heme that may also be important for oxygen affinity.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
